SEScoops

Author: Anutosh Bajpai

  • Tucker On Vince McMahon Not Seeing Money In Tag Team Wrestling

    Recently released WWE star Tucker made an appearance on the OTR Show where he discussed things such as a nixed gimmick for Heavy Machinery they had discussed and more.

    There was a time in WWE when Otis won the Money In Bank briefcase. It started the speculations that he could cash it in to get a tag team title shot for The Heavy Machinery but it didn\’t turn out to be the case.

    When asked if this was the original plan with the MITB, Tucker replied negatively. He discussed how the boss Vince McMahon does not feel that the tag team division can draw money:

    “I don’t think so, no, I’d have no idea. Just based on my thought, to me I feel like Vince doesn’t feel like the tag division can really draw money. At least that seems to be the way that they’re booked.

    Even when they have a super emotional story, they might get twenty minutes at the most. They’re never getting forty minutes, they’re never going on last.\”

    Tucker On The Importance Of Money In The Bank

    Tucker expanded on his comments mentioning how Money In The Bank is one of the biggest prop gimmicks in the company. There are very few people who have been unsuccessful with it:

    \”The Money in the Bank is like one of the biggest things in the company, it’s one of the biggest prop gimmicks that there is. It’s a ticket to a world title, there’s very few people that have unsuccessfully cash it.

    It’s like the thing they used to catapult someone, essentially. It would be nice to think they’d use it for us to win the tag team championships, but I don’t think it was the plan. And if it was, it never got there.”

    Otis won the Money In The Bank briefcase during the event of the same name in May 2020. He kept the briefcase for several months before dropping it to The Miz during the Hell In A Cell PPV in October 2020.

    Tucker was signed to WWE back in 2013 and he formed a tag team with Otis in 2016. Their team broke up when they were drafted to separate brands during the 2020 drafts. Tucker was then released from his WWE contract in April 2021.

  • Nikki Cross On The Inspiration Behind Her Superhero Gimmick

    The new Superhero gimmick of Nikki Cross caught a lot of people off guard. It has received mixed reactions from the fans online so far. During her recent appearance on Espanol’s El Brunch De WWE, the former Sanity member opened up about her new character and revealed the inspiration behind it.

    Cross revealed that the idea was being discussed since the Royal Rumble PPV back in January this year. She then discussed how she used to watch superhero cartoons as a child and explained how it inspired her to create the character:

    “The idea started to form right about the Royal Rumble, for me, I’ve always taken a lot of inspiration, a lot of comfort, a lot of escapism from superhero movies and superhero television shows in Scotland as a little girl. I would always watch the X-Men cartoon, the Spiderman cartoons.

    For me, I really wanted to come up with something that was really inspirational to little girls and boys and something that is a very positive message. To me, the whole message is that I don’t have super powers,\” said Nikki Cross, \”I don’t have super speed, I don’t have super strength, I can’t fly unfortunately but it’s so you don’t need superpowers to be a superhero.\”

    The former NXT star continued by saying that she wanted to share the message that you can be a superhero by being good to people and standing up for those in need around you. Apart from this, Nikki Cross also talked about choosing the costume for her new persona. She claimed that she wanted to create something which people can replicate easily.

    Nikki Cross was drafted to Raw brand in the 2020 draft. While still being seen on WWE TV every now and then, Cross hadn\’t been part of any meaningful storyline since then. The former champion debuted her new superhero gimmick called \’The Spirit\’ during the June 21 episode of Raw last month.

  • JJ Dillon On Vince McMahon Thinking He Would Be Jailed During Steroid Trial

    WWE Hall Of Famer and manager of the legendary Four Horsemen group JJ Dillon was the latest person to be interviewed by JBL and Gerald Brisco for their Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw interview series.

    The early 90s was a tough time period for WWE and Vince McMahon. Not only the company was facing tough competition from WCW but Mr McMahon was also indicted in the infamous steroid lawsuit.

    Dillon who was working for WWE as an executive during the time period discussed the lawsuit during his interview. He revealed that the boss was convinced that he will be going to jail during the trials:

    “Vince was convinced that when the government invests that much in going after somebody, that they’re going to get their pound of flesh, he was convinced they were going to get him on something, and that he was going to do some time. He really was.”

    Thankfully for the chairman, the jury gave a verdict in the favor of Mr. McMahon. Despite the high-profile trial, he was declared not guilty.

    Apart from this, JJ Dillon also remembered the late Pat Patterson during the talk. He discussed how Patterson knew Vince McMahon very well. He knew which ideas McMahon would like and which he wouldn\’t.

  • Tommaso Ciampa Declares Himself The Best Wrestler In The World

    Tommaso Ciampa recently had an interview with Denise Salcedo where he talked about things such as wrestling in front of no fans during the pandemic and more.

    During the interview, the former NXT champion also talked about his highly acclaimed match with the NXT UK champion Walter during the Takeover: Stand And Deliver event.

    Ciampa explained why the match was important for him. He declared himself as the best wrestler in the world and said that his match with the Austrian star was a reminder of the same:

    \”I didn’t understand why, but I feel like in 2018 people kinda got how damn good I was and then I broke my neck and I went away for surgery and I get it I took a little time off there. But I just feel like people don’t realize how damn good I am.

    I am the best wrestler in the world, point-blank.\” said Tommaso Ciampa, \”And I felt that in the WALTER match, ‘I guess I’ll just remind people and see if they forget quickly again,’\”

    The former ROH star also talked about things such as the current NXT product, teaming with Timothy Thatcher, growing as a performer and more.

    Tommaso Ciampa faced Walter in a hard-fought one on one match during the NXT Takeover: Stand And Deliver night one in April earlier this year. Though unfortunately, he lost this bout.

  • Samir Singh On His Interactions With Vince McMahon

    Recently released WWE stars Samir Singh & Sunil Singh, collectively known as The Bollywood Boyz appeared as guests on the latest episode of Sean Waltman’s Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast.

    During the interview, the duo talked about many things such as WWE\’s hunt for a breakout Indian star, their time in the company and more.

    Discussing his interactions with the chairman Vince McMahon, Samir said that the boss was very appreciative. The former WWE star claimed that every meeting they had with McMahon was amazing:

    “Every meeting we had with Vince was amazing. He was always kind and appreciated everything we had done. The first time we were working after a bit, we came up in our pink gear and glasses.

    Vince walked right up to us and was like, ‘That’s fucking money.’ He was always so good to us and that’s why we were always so appreciative.\” said Samir Singh, \”We were always on the right track and learning on the fly and getting ready.”

    The Bollywood Boyz have been wrestling as a tag team since 2006. Prior to their WWE signing in 2016, they had competed for promotions like ECCW and GFW.

    The highlight of their WWE careers was probably their pairing with Jinder Mahal in 2017 when they helped the Maharaja in winning the WWE championship. They were released from the company late last month.

  • Drew McIntyre On If WWE Should Retain The Two Night Format For WrestleMania

    WrestleMania is expected to return to its usual one-night schedule next year. However, many WWE superstars have spoken in support of keeping the event as a two-night show. Drew McIntyre has now joined the list.

    The former WWE champion recently had an interview with Battleground podcast where he was asked for his thoughts on the debate about the one-night vs. two nights format of the Show Of Shows.

    Replying to the question, McIntyre mentioned how the two-night format was a product of the pandemic era. He then claimed that while he loves WrestleMania, he can\’t imagine being in the crowd for seven hours for the show:

    \”As much as I love WrestleMania and be performing on it, I couldn’t imagine being in the crowd for up to seven hours at a time. It’s such a long event.\”

    Drew McIntyre then recalled his experience of wrestling Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 35 and how the crowd was a bit burned out for it. He explained why breaking big WWE shows to two nights might be a good idea:

    \”If we broke it into two nights, we’ve got those shorter events and the crowd’s got their energy from start to finish. They can pick a night, they can pick both nights, or make a weekend out of it.

    So, I’m all about it, but again, I don’t understand the business behind it and what makes the most sense, so I can’t make that decision.\” said the former champion, \”But for me, personally, it gets a yes.”

    Apart from this, Drew McIntyre reiterated his comments about wanting his old theme song back. He said that the theme will come back \’one of these days.\’

  • Chris Jericho On His Dream Feuds, Favorite Tag Team Partner

    Wrestling veteran Chris Jericho recently spoke to Gresh and Keefe while promoting his new book dubbed The Complete List of Jericho where he talked about a number of things.

    The wrestling veteran has feuded with many Hall Of Famers In his long and illustrated career. The long list of his iconic rivalries includes people like Shawn Michaels, Edge and more.

    When asked which stars he would have liked to have a feud with, Jericho picked the Hart Brothers. He also said that he would have loved to be part of an extended feud with The Undertaker:

    “I think the Hart brothers for sure. I’m talking about Bret Hart or Owen Hart. Both of those guys I never got to wrestle. Owen passed away before I got into WWE, and I wasn’t at the level to wrestle Bret before he got injured, before his career was done.

    The other one is The Undertaker. I worked him a few times and we always had great matches, but we just never really had a long feud.”

    Chris Jericho Reveals His Favorite Tag Team Partner

    Chris was also asked which is his favorite tag team partner. Replying to it, Y2J who has won tag team championships with people like The Rock and Edge, picked The Big Show aka Paul Wight as his favorite:

    \”My favorite tag team partner of all-time — and you can see that in The Complete List of Jericho, I have my top ten tag team partners, etc — is always the Big Show,”

    Chris Jericho explained how he had a great time teaming with Wight during their WWE days. He recalled how the two were like an old married couple who argued with each other but still had great chemistry.

    The former AEW champion teamed with Big Show as part of the Jeri-Show tag team in 2009-2010. The two won the tag team titles a couple of times and also won the 2009 Slammy Awards for tag team of the year.

  • John Cena On Drew McIntyre Wanting A Match With Him

    John Cena is expected to make his return to WWE programming later this month. Names of potential opponents for him are already piling up.

    Latest reports suggest that the company is discussing a match between him and Roman Reigns. Though that\’s not all, as Drew McIntyre also expressed the desire to face the former champion recently.

    Cena talked about McIntyre\’s comments in his interview with Demand Entertainment to promote Fast & Furious 9. John said that he always appreciates being mentioned in such a conversation. However, he explained that Drew is just setting himself up for disappointment:

    “Man, what a way to set yourself up for disappointment. In no way shape or form is Drew in a position to make matches or make things happen — and I’m not either.  Neither of us have that power, that’s beyond our capacity, so, I certainly am grateful for being mentioned, which is awesome.\”

    John Cena On Why He Never Thinks About Potential Opponents

    John Cena went on to explain his comments. He said that while he has more matches left in WWE, he never thinks about which opponents he wants to face because he\’s not the one making the decision:

    “I got more matches left in the WWE, I’m not done, but I’ve never approached anything like, ‘I’d like to work with this person, or I want to have a match with this person’ because I don’t make those choices.

    They say, ‘Hey, we’d like you to do this.’ Alright, it’s time to go to work. And that’s really allowed me to enjoy every step of the way. I think if we build up expectations in our head — like, I hate to say this to Drew, but if that never happens, how is he supposed to feel about that?”

    John Cena has confirmed that he will make a return in previous interviews as well but an exact date for his comeback has not been confirmed yet.

    Would you like to see a match between John Cena and Drew McIntyre when the Cenation Leader returns? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

  • Karrion Kross To Confront Johnny Gargano At NXT Great American Bash, Updated Card

    WWE has announced that the NXT champion Karrion Kross will come face-to-face with Johnny Gargano at the NXT Great American Bash this Tuesday.

    Gargano expressed the desire to have a confrontation with the fellow NXT star on Twitter. He mentioned how his rival tried to hit him with a car last week and promised to \’smack the taste outta\’ of the NXT champion\’s mouth.

    Kross accepted this invitation with a tweet of his own. He told Johnny that it was time to cool off his mouth and compared the former champion to \’ the bugs that crawl in and out of dog crap\’:

    Both the NXT GM William Regal and special enforcer Samoa Joe also reacted to this news on Twitter. You can check out the exchange among these four below:

    Great American Bash: Updated Card

    • NXT Champion Karrion Kross coming face to face with Johnny Gargano
    • Championship Cypher hosted by North American Champion Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Hit Row
    • NXT Tag Team Championship Match: MSK vs. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher
    • NXT Women\’s Tag Team Championship Match: Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai and Zoey Stark
    • Singles Match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

    NXT\’s Great American Bash is scheduled to take place from the Capitol Wrestling Center on this Tuesday, July 6. Below is the updated card for the show after the latest addition:

  • News On How Zelina Vega\’s Return Was Made Possible

    Zelina Vega had a dispute with WWE over their third-party edicts. These disagreements had led to the female star\’s release in November 2020. So it was a surprise for many when she made her return to the company on SmackDown this week. Latest reports provide some update on how it was made possible.

    According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, there were segments in the promotion who felt that Vega should have been retained and not released when she was first let go. These segments pushed for a conversation between the two sides. They eventually succeed in their effort to start a discussion for her return.

    This return was made possible when after a long period of back and forth, the WWE executives apologized to Zelina Vega and made her an offer. As for why the former NXT star herself chose to return after the manner of her firing, the site notes that both sides made amends and came to a compromise.

    Vega grew up wanting to be a part of WWE. She didn\’t mind returning if the air was cleared from all sides. It\’s said that everyone \’came to an understanding on the other sides\’ perspective\’ to make things work. When it comes to Aleister Black, some people within the company have pushed for his return too. Although as of now, there aren\’t any deep discussions about his potential comeback.

  • Billie Kay On The Favorite Moment Of Her WWE Career

    The team of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, collectively known as The IIconics recently appeared on the Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette podcast where the duo opened up about their time in WWE.

    During the interview, they talked about things such as their start in wrestling, the decision to break up their tag team and draft them to separate brands, and more.

    One of the biggest career highlights of The IIconics was when the duo won the women\’s tag team championship at WrestleMania. Discussing it, Billie Kay said that it was the favorite moment of her career:

    “It was my favorite moment, like everything that we had worked for, for 15 years and, like, all the sacrifices we made, everything came down to that one match, I didn’t tell anyone what was going to happen in the match.\”

    Kay went on to explain that both her husband and the husband of her partner, Shawn Spears were in the crowd for this bout but even they didn\’t know the outcome of the match.

    The IIconics, alongside two other teams, challenged The Boss \’n\’ Hug Connection for the women\’s tag titles at WrestleMania 35. Billie Kay won this match for her team after pinning Bayley. This made them the first all Australian tag team champions in the history of WWE.

  • Zelina Vega Comments On WWE Return, Scrubs Tweet about Unionization

    Zelina Vega finally made her return to WWE programming after months of speculation last night. She made a surprise appearance on SmackDown and was added to the upcoming Money In The Bank match.

    The female star took on her Twitter to comment on her return to WWE TV. She mentioned that the takeaway from her appearance on the blue brand is that she is back and she will be winning the upcoming ladder match:

    \”What to take from tonight: I’m back. I’m going to be in the MITB ladder match…and I will win.\” wrote Zelina Vega, \”Period. Everything else is irrelevant.\”

    \”I support unionization.\”

    It\’s interesting to note that with her return to the company, the former NXT star has deleted her old tweet about supporting unionization. She had posted the tweet on the same day as her release in 2020.

    Zelina Vega was released from WWE back on November 13, 2020. Her dispute with the officials over WWE\’s new third-party edicts was the primary reason behind her departure from the company.

    The news of her potential return was first reported in May this year. She finally made her return on SmackDown this week where Sonya Deville introduced her as the newest participant for the women\’s Money In The Bank match.

  • Mickie James Praises AEW Star As \’The Greatest Women\’s Wrestler\’

    Former WWE and current NWA star Mickie James recently spoke to Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast where she talked about a number of things.

    The former women\’s champion is looking to make her in-ring return at the upcoming NWA 73 show but she doesn\’t have an opponent for the event yet.

    When asked which star she would like to face in her first match for her new promotion, Mickie named a few opponents she could see herself fighting against:

    \”If we go within NWA, there\’s Kylie Rae now. There\’s Kamille, who is aligned with my husband and they are champions. As a businesswoman, I like Kamille.

    She comes over to the house and we\’re all friends. I\’d really like to have one of those matches with like Thunder Rosa or Serena [Deeb] and put on a hell of a match,\”

    Mickie James Has Big Praise For Sarena Deeb

    James continued her praise for the former NWA women\’s champion Deeb. She called the AEW star \’the greatest women\’s wrestler\’ out there right now:

    \”I know I\’ve wrestled Serena, but everyone knows that Serena is my go-to because I think she\’s the greatest women\’s wrestler out there right now and I\’ve always felt that way.

    I\’ve always had a kindred spirit with Serena because I remember her when she first moved to OVW. We\’re both Virginia girls and I\’ve loved her since day one.\”

    Mickie James\’ last put on her wrestling gear for the 2021 women\’s Royal Rumble match in January. Her last singles match was her encounter with Zelina Vega during the September 21, 2020 episode of Raw.

  • Notes On Zelina Vega\’s Return On SmackDown

    After weeks of rumors and speculations, Zelina Vega finally made her return to WWE programming on this week\’s episode of SmackDown and secured herself a spot in the upcoming Money In The Bank match.

    PWInsider provided some backstage updates on her return. The site confirms that her appearance is not a short-term deal and the female star is back with the company full time.

    They also revealed that Vega was backstage for last week\’s episode of the show as well but she wasn\’t used. WWE officials hid her well so the news of her presence did not leak.

    The former NXT star was released from WWE back in November 2020 after a three year long stint with the company. Her disagreements with the officials about WWE\’s new third party edicts were a big reason behind her departure.

    The news of her potential return to the company first broke out in May earlier this year. Zelina Vega finally made her return to WWE programming this week.

    Sonya Deville announced that the returning star was the next participant for the women\’s MITB ladder match. Vega then went on to have a singles match with Liv Morgan but she lost the bout.

  • Update On Kenny Omega\’s Health

    Recent reports of Kenny Omega dealing with multiple nagging injuries and working hurt made fans worried about him. The latest reports thankfully provide a positive update on the situation.

    Dave Meltzer talked about the AEW world champion on the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He revealed that some recent treatments have helped the wrestling star and he is now feeling much better:

    \”Omega was feeling a lot better and you could tell in the Jungle Boy match. The biggest issue was an athletic hernia and stem cell treatment and PRP therapy have helped a lot.\” wrote Meltzer, \”He said it wasn’t night and day, but he felt it made a world of difference.\”

    The former NJPW star was dealing with multiple nagging injuries. Apart from the athletic hernia, he had problems with his knees. He suffered from a stomach virus for a period and had a deep bone bruise near his tailbone too.

    Kenny Omega also sliced up his hand during a spot involving the AEW world title while defending his championship against Pac and Orange Cassidy at the Double Or Nothing PPV. It required him to get seven stitches.

    He was heard telling people before the show that there are days when he wonders if he\’s close to retirement because of all the issues. So this update is a relieving news for the fans.

  • News On Why Xavier Woods Was Absent From Raw

    Xavier Woods did not appear on last week\’s episode of Raw after the beatdown angle on June 21 episode of the show. Latest reports suggest that the angle was done based off a request from Woods.

    Dave Meltzer talked about the New Day member in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He noted that the WWE star had asked for a week off. The injury angle was written to explain his absence from the show.

    Last week\’s episode of Raw featured a Hell In A Cell main event where the WWE champion Bobby Lashley defended his title against Xavier Woods inside the cage.

    The match saw Lashley picking up a clean victory when he made his opponent tap out with the Hurt Lock. However, he didn\’t let the UpUpDownDown star go even after the match.

    The WWE champion locked himself in the cage with Woods even after the match was over. He hurt Xavier some more before finally letting him go to end the show.

    There is no word on why the former tag champion asked for the time off. No word on the reason for Lashley\’s absence from the show either.

    Though both these stars are not expected to stay away for long. Both Xavier Woods and Bobby Lashley will be returning to Raw this Monday. The New Day will face Lashley and MVP in a tag match on the show.

  • Orange Cassidy On If He Ever Saw Himself Becoming A Big Star

    The group of Chuck Taylor, Kris Statlander, Orange Cassidy, and Trent joined the latest episode of Busted Open Radio. The AEW stars talked about a wide variety of topics during their appearance.

    The King Of Sloth Style has become an internet sensation since joining AEW. His unique wrestling style and persona has made him one of the most beloved babyfaces of the industry.

    When asked if he ever saw himself getting this level of success in the wrestling world, Cassidy admitted that he didn\’t imagine it when he first got started:

    “To answer your question without getting too much into it, no, never ever. I just put a denim jacket on and started wrestling. You know, whatever happened, happened.”

    Orange Cassidy On Their Return To Road

    Orange Cassidy was then asked how he feels about AEW\’s return to the road next week and getting to work in front of fans again. Replying to it, he said that he is looking forward to doing more of what he wants to do:

    “I had to wrestle more, which I wasn’t a fan of, but luckily during that time, a bunch of people like Chris Jericho and the great Brodie Lee, they pissed me off hard enough to make me actually wrestle. Now that the people are back I can, you know, get back to doing what I want to do, which is more of nothing.”

    During the interview, Chuck Taylor mentioned how many people believe Orange Cassidy to be an overnight success. In reality, he has worked on indies for many years before joining the promotion.

  • Arturo Ruas Discusses Nixed Plans For Him To Join The Diamond Mine

    Former NXT star Arturo Ruas was one of the names released last month. It appears that the officials were considering big plans for him at one point before the 39-year-old was let go.

    The Diamond Mine finally made their debut on NXT TV last month after teasing the fans for weeks. The group consisted of Roderick Strong, Tyler Rust, and Hideki Suzuki. Malcolm Bivens was their manager.

    It was later reported that both Ruas and Marina Shafir were originally planned to be a part of the group. When asked about it during an interview with WrestlingInc, Arturo confirmed that he knew about these talks:

    “When I did my match with Kushida, I knew that the storyline of that match would be leading to me being a part of Malcolm Bivens’ group, It wasn’t Diamond Mine yet. I was supposed to be in that group, and then I got injured.

    I got surgery on my bicep, and things kind of stopped, but I healed. I got cleared, and everything started to run again.\” said Ruas \”That’s where Diamond Mine came up. It would be a group of legit fighters with legit backgrounds.\”

    Unfortunately for the former NXT star, his injury forced the company to change plans and the diamond mine ended up making their debut without him.

    The Brazilian professional wrestler signed with WWE back in 2015. He worked several Raw underground segments on the main roster. Arturo Ruas was released from his contract in June 2021.

  • Ted DiBiase Jr Explains Why He Left WWE In 2013

    Ted DiBiase Jr had a successful run in WWE which started in 2007. So it was surprising for the fans when he not only left the promotion in 2013 but put a stop to his wrestling career as well.

    The former WWE star recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet. He opened up about his time in the company and explained the reasoning behind his decision to leave the promotion.

    DiBiase revealed that his contract had expired. While the officials had offered him a new deal, he made the call not to re-sign with the promotion because he was dealing with mental health issues:

    “I was offered another 5 year deal. It was generous, but when it came down to it, I was battling some things internally; there were some mental health issues. I was going through depression and anxiety, and also being a new father. I just knew.\”

    Ted DiBiase Jr also talked about his experience of growing up as the son of an iconic father. He attributed this experience as another reason for leaving WWE and the wrestling world altogether.

    The former champion explained that he loves his father but the wrestling veteran was not able to be present for important days in his childhood, something he didn\’t want to repeat with his own son.

  • Lana Recalls Getting Punished In WWE After Her Engagement To Miro

    The WWE career of Lana was a rollercoaster ride. It included highs such as getting pushed to main event status during her storyline with Bobby Lashley to lows where she got punished for her real-life engagement with Miro, who was known as Rusev at the time.

    The former WWE star recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho. She opened up about her time in the company and discussed her career there in detail.

    During the interview, Lana recalled the time when she got engaged to Miro and the news got leaked. She remembered how WWE officials were not happy with the news getting out and explained how the duo got blamed for it. This resulted in her ongoing storyline with Dolph Ziggler getting cut short:

    \”I didn’t even put up a picture. I just sent it to my friend. Then I guess, someone leaked it. I never, ever posted it. TMZ got a hold of it, and then basically TMZ said we were engaged.

    \”The story [with Dolph] got cut, and we got blamed for it. Personally, I got blamed. It’s insane. I got in trouble. I wasn’t on television for three months. I was made to feel that it was all my fault. I had to take the blame. For years I thought, maybe it was my fault.\”

    \"\"

    Lana later revealed that she made up for this mistake during her storyline with Bobby Lashley. She promised Vince McMahon that she would not take pictures with someone she was feuding with. To keep this promise, she didn\’t post any photos with Miro for almost a year.

    The Ravishing Russian was signed by WWE in June 2013. She was originally paired with Rusev. The female star\’s 8-year long stint came to an end when she was released from the company last month.

  • Mercedes Martinez Reportedly Suffered Concussion During NXT

    NXT star Mercedes Martinez apparently suffered a concussion during her tag team match on this Tuesday\’s episode of the Black and Yellow brand.

    Dave Meltzer talked about the female star on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. He revealed that the veteran wrestler suffered a concussion during her match on the show

    Mercedes Martinez teamed up with Jake Atlas to face Xia Li and Boa in a mixed tag match on the show. However, the bout couldn\’t reach its planned ending.

    The NXT star got knocked out halfway through the bout thanks to a roundhouse kick from Lee. She started bleeding from her mouth and went down, forcing the referee to stop the bout. The match was then called off due to referee stoppage.

    The team of Xia Li and Boa were declared the winners. Martinez was taken to a hospital for further checkup but the good news for fans is that she was doing better by the next morning.

    Neither WWE nor the female star herself has commented on her health as of now. There is no word yet on if she will miss any ring time due to the injury. We will keep you posted on her status.

  • WWE Looking To Hire New Writers And More

    WWE is looking to fill a number of backstage roles in the company. The listing they have put out includes jobs such as writers and managers of talent operations & appearances.

    The promotion posted about a number of openings they are looking to fill on their corporate website yesterday including full time opening for new backstage writers and more.

    The key responsibilities for the writing job include developing \”clearly defined, yet emotionally sophisticated, characters for a diverse group of WWE Talent.\”

    The qualifications include 5+ years of experience of writing TV or film content as well as the experience of working with on-screen talents and creative writers.

    The listing interestingly does not require the candidate to have previous knowledge of wrestling. According to it, understanding of WWE\’s audience is \”a plus but not required.\”

    Other openings posted alongside the writer role include a full-time position as the manager of talent operations and appearances as well as a cybersecurity engineer for a remote consultant role.

    WWE recently faced some criticism when a company writer revealed that she was not required to know anything about wrestling before joining the promotion. The officials have not changed the requirements for the job despite it.

  • \’The Patriot\’ Del Wilkes Passes Away At 59

    Veteran wrestler and former WWE and WCW star Del Wilkes better known to wrestling fans as The Patriot passed away this Thursday. The retired professional wrestler passed away due to a heart attack according to The Charleston Post & Courier. He was 59 years old.

    The Patriot made his wrestling debut back in 1988 and competed for promotions such as the American Wrestling Association and Global Wrestling Federation during his early years. He wrestled a few matches for WWE in the early 90s. The late star wrestled under various personas including The Trooper, Del Wilkes, and The Patriot for the company but his bouts didn\’t transpire in a long run.

    \"The

    The Patriot Del Wilkes

    The former wrestling star first gained fame when he signed a WCW contract in 1994. He formed a team with Marcus Alexander Bagwell. The duo started wrestling as Stars and Stripes and they won the WCW tag titles a couple of times.  His WCW run lasted until 1995 after which he returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling, the promotion he was wrestling for before his signing with WCW.

    The Patriot finally signed a WWE contract back in June 1997. The former champion stayed with the company then known as WWF until early 1998. After leaving WWE, Wilkes retired from professional wrestling due to a torn triceps. We at SEScoops send our deepest condolences to the family of Del Wilkes.

  • Shaquille O\’Neal Teases Paul Wight Match In AEW, Wight Responds

    Fans have been wanting to see a proper pro wrestling match between NBA legend Shaquille O\’Neal and Paul Wight (Big Show) for years. It appears that we might finally get to see this bout soon.

    The former basketball player recently had an interview with PopCulture. He was asked about some recent comments from the former WWE star and replying to it, he teased a confrontation between the two for near future:

    \”I hear Paul Wight\’s still talking trash, so I\’m going to work out really hard this summer,\” said Shaq, \”And maybe we could do something very, very soon,\”

    A match between the two was rumored in WWE for a while but they ended up only having a brief confrontation during the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32.

    Discussing why their rivalry couldn\’t culminate in a one on one fight at the time, Shaquille O\’Neal claimed that it was because of a lot of bureaucracy and red tape:

    \”Shouldn\’t be any problems for us getting together now. Last time it was lot of bureaucracy and red tape, now there is no red tape. So, I\’m going to go on because I\’m still kind of sore from the table, so I\’m going to go for it this summer, pump these muscles up here. I\’ll be waiting for you, Mr. Paul.\”

    Shaquille O\’Neal made his in-ring debut for AEW back in March. He teamed up with Jade Cargill to defeat the team of Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet in a well-received mixed tag match on Dynamite.

    Paul Wight made his debut for the promotion on the same night. He has signed a deal to work as both a commentator and wrestler. The former world champion hasn\’t made his in ring debut for the promotion yet and we will have to see if Shaquille O\’Neal ends up being his debut opponent.

    Update: Paul Wight seems to have taken note of Shaquille O\’Neal\’s for a match. The heavyweight star responded to the comments from the giant on Twitter and claimed that is not hard to find:

  • Bronson Reed Discusses Potential Main Roster Call-up

    Former NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed seems to be one of the prospects WWE is eying for a move to main roster during the upcoming drafts.

    The NXT star recently appeared on El Brunch de WWE where among other things, he also shared his thoughts on a potential move to Raw or SmackDown.

    Reed was asked which brand he would like to join if the company does decide to bring him up. Replying to it, the former champion picked up the blue brand as his preferred destination:

    “That’s a tough choice, I think both [RAW & SmackDown] have benefits but if I had to choose, if I had to leave the black and gold NXT, I’d probably say the blue brand. I would say Friday Night SmackDown.”

    Bronson Reed also discussed his experience of working WWE Main Event. He mentioned how he got to wrestle Drew Gulak during the bout and said that it was an opportunity to get more eyes on him:

    “I feel great, I think it’s another opportunity to get more eyes on ‘The Colossal’ Bronson Reed. So I got to wrestle Drew Gulak and I hit my Tsunami Splash and beat him, one, two, three, so feeling very happy about it.”

    Another NXT star WWE officials seem to be interested in bringing up is the NXT champion, Karrion Kross. You can check out the latest backstage news on potential future plans for both these names here.